Football-italia
Conte: ‘Empty stadiums aren’t beautiful’
Conte: ‘Empty stadiums aren’t beautiful’
Inter boss Antonio Conte says playing the Derby d’Italia in an empty stadium “isn’t nice” but that “we refer to the decisions that were made for health reasons.” It’s been a controversial week in the Italian game, with games in the northern part of the country cancelled due to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. […]
Maradona: ‘Would like Napoli to have a Messi’
Maradona: ‘Would like Napoli to have a Messi’
Diego Armando Maradona says he would like Napoli to “have a Lionel Messi,” but says the Barcelona No 10 would never experience what “he went through” in the 1980s. Maradona played for Napoli from 1984 to 1991, and secured two Scudetti, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Cup during his turbulent stay in Naples. Messi’s […]
Report: Mertens out for 10 days
Report: Mertens out for 10 days
Napoli forward Dries Mertens will reportedly be out for 10 days after suffering a severe bruise on the ankle against Barcelona in the Champions League. The Belgium international scored the opener for the Partenopei and equalled Marek Hamsik’s record as all-time leading goalscorer for the Azzurri. But his performance against Barca at the San Paolo […]
Zielinski: ‘Napoli must risk more’
Zielinski: ‘Napoli must risk more’
Piotr Zielinski stressed that “it’s not over” and claimed Napoli “have a chance” if they “risk something more” in the return leg against Barcelona. The first leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League ended in a 1-1 draw at the San Paolo, when Antoine Griezmann equalised Dries Mertens opener. Napoli did well […]
Setien: ‘Napoli had defensive wall’
Setien: ‘Napoli had defensive wall’
Barcelona coach Quique Setien complains they “didn’t have the sharpness or patience to break down the Napoli defensive wall,” and feels Arturo Vidal’s red card was harsh. Antoine Griezmann met a Nelson Semedo assist to cancel out the Dries Mertens opener, but it was the only shot on target that the Catalan giants actually had […]
Busquets: ‘Napoli left no spaces’
Busquets: ‘Napoli left no spaces’
Sergio Busquets argues it was “impossible to find spaces” through the Napoli defence, while Barcelona will be short on options for the second leg. Antoine Griezmann equalised on a Nelson Semedo ball rolled across from the right flank after the Dries Mertens opener from the edge of the box. It leaves the Champions League Round […]
Napoli battle to Barcelona draw
Napoli battle to Barcelona draw
Dries Mertens matched the all-time Napoli goal-scoring record, but Antoine Griezmann tapped in the Barcelona equaliser and Arturo Vidal saw red in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Follow all the action as it happens and give your views on the LIVEBLOG. Kalidou Koulibaly and Fernando Llorente were out injured for […]
Insigne: ‘Napoli had better chances’
Insigne: ‘Napoli had better chances’
Lorenzo Insigne admits the 1-1 draw “leaves a bitter taste,” because Napoli had more scoring opportunities than Barcelona. Dries Mertens saw his opener cancelled out by Antoine Griezmann at the Stadio San Paolo in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. “I had asked for Messi’s shirt before the game, it’s an […]
Gattuso: ‘Barcelona couldn’t hurt Napoli’
Gattuso: ‘Barcelona couldn’t hurt Napoli’
Gennaro Gattuso maintains Barcelona “could’ve been there all night and not scored” against Napoli, other than the single defensive error in this 1-1 draw. “They didn’t hurt us, they barely tickled.” Dries Mertens had opened the scoring with a curler from the edge of the box, matching Marek Hamsik’s all-time club scoring record of 121 […]
Griezmann: ‘Different in Barcelona’
Griezmann: ‘Different in Barcelona’
Antoine Griezmann is confident “the second leg will be very different” for Barcelona after a 1-1 Champions League Round of 16 trip to Napoli. He scored the equaliser after a Dries Mertens opener at the Stadio San Paolo, leaving the tie wide open for Camp Nou on March 18. “We came to win, we played […]